Abnormality:failure to function adequately, statistical infrequency Flashcards
What is Statistical infrequency
Someone is mentally abnormal if their mental condition is very rare in the population
-The rarity is judged objectively using statistics (Normal distribution curve)
-Relies on the use of up to date stats
What is the normal distribution curve (3)
-It shows the population’s average spread of specific characteristics
- The mean mode median model scores are all at the highest point, the most common behaviour.
-At each end there are fewer people with those behaviours
What is a positive evaluation of using statistical frequency to define abnormality(3) objectivity
-The individuals who are assessed as being abnormal have been evaluated objectively
-which is better than other definitions that depend on subjective opinions of a clinician
-For example: deciding if the client is coping or not is a vague concept and two observers may disagree
What is one criticism of using statistical infrequency (3) Cut off point
-The psychological community decides the cut off point for what is statistically rare enough to be defined as abnormal
-This is a subjective decision with real implications.
-For example, defining intellectual disability as 70 IQ and under means people with an IQ just over 70 may be denied support
Another criticism of statistical infrequency (not all rare traits are negative) also an iq below 70 is known as intellectual disbility disorder
Unusual characteristics can be positive!
IQ scores over 130 are just as unusual as those below 70, but we wouldn’t think of
super-intelligence as an undesirable characteristic that needs treatment. Just because
very few people display certain behaviours does make the behaviour statistically
abnormal (i.e. it is not ‘normal’) but doesn’t mean it requires treatment to return to
normal. This is a serious limitation to the concept of statistical infrequency and means
that it would never be used alone to make a diagnosis.
Define failure to function adequately (FFA)
The individual is defined as abnormal if they cannot cope in their daily lives, Including their ability to interact with the world and meet their challenges
What are 5 of Rosenham and Seligman’s features of failure to function
Maladaptive behaviour: Individuals behave in ways that go against their long term interests
Personal anguish: The individual suffers from anxiety and distress
Observer discomfort: the individual’s behaviour causes distress to those around them
Irrationality: It is difficult to understand the motivation behind the individuals
Unconventionality: Behaviour doesnt match what is typically accepted by sosciety
What is one criticism of the failure to fucntion adequately definition of abnormailty
Decisions about whether someone is coping is subjective and based on the clinicians opinion.
-This judgement may be biased, meaning that two observers (clinicians) might not agree on whether someone is managing
What is a second criticism of the FFA
It only includes people who cannot cope; psychopaths can often function in society in ways that benefit themselves personally.
-Having lower empathy can lead to success in business and politics.
-However, while they feel no distress themselves psychopathy often has negative implications for the people around them
A final consequence is
that not all maladapative behaviours indicate mental illness.Taking part in extreme sports eating unhealthy foods and drinking alcohol all risk the individuals health so they are arguably maladaptive. However most people would disagree that these behaviours indicate mental illness
What is one positive aspect of the FFA
It respects the individual and their own experiences. Which is something that other definitions such as statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms cannot do as these definitions of abniormality are based on what is normal in the rest of the population
RLA Statitsical infrquen
Real-life application
A strength of the statistical definition is that it has a real-life application in the diagnosis
of intellectual disability disorder. There is therefore a place for statistical infrequency in
thinking about what are normal and abnormal behaviours and characteristics. Actually
all assessment of patients with mental disorders includes some kind of measurement of
how severe their symptoms are as compared to statistical norms (as distinct from social
norms). Statistical infrequency is thus a useful part of clinical assessment.
